Felicisimo Ampon Raymundo Deyro
Alfredo Diy Other Tennis Champions
Felicisimo Ampon, who was only five feet tall, was once considered the best
tennis player in the world, pound for pound. Ampon, dubbed as the "Mighty Mite"
won the Davis Cup singles championship in 1937 and the singles title in the
Pan-American championship in Mexico City in 1950. Because of this, the Filipino
tennis ace was declared the first Athlete of the Year by the Philippine
Sportswriters Association (PSA) in the same year.
He was a gold medallist in the Far Eastern Games before the war and clinched a
doubles' gold with Raymundo Deyro in the 1958 Asian Games. He nearly defeated
world number 1 Frank Seigman in the quarterfinals of the French Open in May
1952.
In 1953, Ampon won the Wimbledon Plate championship, a tournament among first-
and second-round losers in the Wimbledon Open.
Raymundo Deyro brought home two gold medals from the 1958 Tokyo Asiad. He first
won a gold medal in the singles event and teamed with Felicisimo Ampon for the
doubles gold. In the 1962 Jakarta Asiad, Johnny Jose took the singles gold.
Eddie Cruz was the First Filipino to have played in prestigious international
tennis events like the US Open, the Italian Open, the French Open and the
Wimbledon Open.
Alfredo Diy was considered the dean of Philippine tennis. He represented the
country in the 1934 Far Eastern Games and in the 1937 International
Championships.
Among other Filipino tennis players who have represented the country in
international tournaments include Felix Barrientos, Dyan Castillejo, Miguel
Dungo Jr., Maricris Fernandez, Guillermo Hernandez, Johnny Jose, Bryan Juinio
and Joseph Lizardo.
